Running With The Pack
by Kinu Shippou
Summary: The story of a young wolf trying to make it through life. ..wolf's rain characters come in later..
1. Chapter 1

Running With The Pack

Chapter 1

In these my final days, I wish to tell my story one last time. The White Wolf will come and gather my soul soon and I want my legacy to be passed to my pups before I go.

Many winters and moons have passed since I last saw my mother, who cared for me like I was the center of the universe. My siblings knew this and hated me for it. My mother had always told me that when I came of age I would lead the pack with a strong male by my side. I really think I could really lead a pack, but I tried my hardest to live up to her expectations.

I was about two summers old when I lost my mother, and since I never knew my real father she was all I had. It was late winter, and we were on the hunt. Some thing was bothering me that day and I had no idea why. I hung back because of it. I really didn't want to screw something up and get my ear torn off for it.

We had just closed in on a huge, old buck, that looked like it had seen better days. If we made the kill we wouldn't have to hunt for at least two days. Everything was going fine up until then, but out of nowhere the sound of birds broke the normal noise of the hunt. The sounded terrified, but even so the hunt continued.

Shortly after the birds, came the sound of blades on the wind. I had heard this sound once before, just before my father died. He may not have been my real father but he cared for me and that's all that really mattered to me. He had only been with the pack for a short time but in that time we bonded.

I wasn't there when it happened but I was still devastated. I was stuck back at the den when I heard an odd noise. It was like nothing I had ever heard before but I just ignored it and went on playing in the grass. Later when the pack returned from hunting. Everyone seemed depressed and nervous. My mother told me that while on the hunt the pack had been attacked by some humans and that we lost two wolves and my father had gone missing. We had to move on because of the danger, but the whole way I kept my nose up hoping to pick up his scent on the wind.

His scent was eventually picked up but it wasn't by me. My older half brother Bear picked up his scent and he and my mother went off to find him when he didn't answer our howls. It had gotten dark when I heard my mother cry out. She sounded like her heart had been torn in half. She and Bear didn't return until late afternoon the next day.

They returned with low spirits but they were greeted by the pack as if nothing had happened. From that day on my father, Frost, wasn't spoken of again. I had to beg Bear to tell me what had happened to him. He told me that the day that they found my father he was dieing. He had suffered greatly and slowly died in a trap. He and my mother stayed by his side until my father had passed.

I didn't eat for days after I heard what had happened. My mother eventually forced me to eat. I came closer to death then anyone else. I eventually took comfort in knowing I still had my mother and the rest of the pack.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As I was saying before, the sound of blades on the wind stopped everyone in their tracks for a brief moment. It only took a second for the pack to realize that that sound meant danger. I was afraid everyone would scatter in the panic, but surprisingly everyone stayed together in the dash for cover.

We had almost reached a large patch of trees when many loud bangs came from the sky. I hadn't dared look back at whatever we were running from until I saw my mother hit the ground. The rest of the pack had continued running but I had stopped to see if she was okay.

She had several small wounds on her back and flank. I tried to get her to her feet but she couldn't stand. As I stood by her side even after I had seen our attacker. It was man, men and there death machines were the ones pursuing us. They had hunted us down and were killing us for mere sport, much like a common house cat. They came with their guns and bullets to kill my family.

I was terrified and had no idea what to do when the landed their defting flying machine and began to walk toward my mother and I. I wasn't going to just leave her there to die so I stood my ground foolishly, snarling and growling as they approached. Every moment seemed to go by so slowly. I saw a large, well built man, stand not to far from me and raise his gun.

I stood by my mother's side knowing that I would most likely be dead soon. Another bang came from the man's gun and I felt a sharp tearing in my right shoulder. I almost immediately fell to the ground. I lay beside my mother not knowing what was my mother hoping she would know what to do. All she could do was look back at me and say, "Run dear, I want you to run. Your pack is waiting for their leader. You have to lead them." I saw the life fade from my mother's eyes.

She had passed within seconds and the smell of death hung around her. Within seconds I was to my feet and painfully running away. I wanted to stay but I couldn't control my legs. The only thing I could hear were my mother's words. "Run dear, I want you to run." I know she was dead, and if I stopped running I would be too. I kept running until I had collapsed under a tree on the far side of the pack's territory.

I laid there as if in a dream. Everything was a blur. I saw my mother, her eyes were white. She looked at me for a moment then turned and walked away. I wanted to chase after her but I couldn't move. I called out to her. I yelled for her to wait for me, but when she did all she said was, "Your pack is waiting for their leader. You have to lead them." She said that then continued to walk away.

I woke in a daze soon after that. My shoulder was burning and there was blood all over the ground. I tried to stand several times without making any progress. Eventually I stood there on three legs and let out a howl. I listened for a reply for what felt like hours but I'm sure it wasn't more then a few moments' When my call was returned it sounded like the pack wasn't too far off. I slowly limped to where the calls had come from.

I saw the pack sitting together and talking. The pack had grown considerably smaller. We had lost at least four wolves and with the absence of my mother and my disappearance my sister had taken over the pack. She knew it was my birth right to lead the pack but she wasn't going to give up her position. As soon as she saw I was injured she began to charge toward me. I wasn't in any kind of shape to fight her. I had no choice but to run.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I found myself back under the old trees on the edge of the territory before long. By that time the pain in my shoulder was practically unbearable and I had become light headed and sick. All I could do was lay under the tree and pray that the pain and sickness would eventually pass. It wasn't long before I could feel myself fading out of this world. I was in so much pain at that point that I was willing to greet the White Wolf without a second thought. I laid there wonder how much longer I would have to suffer before I would be reunited with my mother and father. After a while I had reached a point where I couldn't even move and other then the constant pain from my shoulder, my body was numb.

It seemed like I had been laying under that tree forever when I heard foot steps. By that time I had already closed my eyes and embraced my fate. The steps were distant at first but they drew closer and closer I could smell what was coming. It was a familiar scent, one I know I will never forget. It was the scent of men. I was sure that it was the men that had killed my mother. It seemed they had come to collect my body as well. I summoned what little strength I had left and let out a low growl, with my eyes still shut. My growl soon faded and I heard the men standing around me begin to speak among themselves.

With all the noise they were making I couldn't understand what was going on, but soon I felt a small but sharp pain in my neck. I felt myself slipping into a deep sleep and being lifted off the ground. My thoughts became peaceful and my pain faded away as I fell in to the deepest sleep of my life. When I awoke I was cold and I had been locked in a cage. I had seen cages before but it was from afar when my mother would take me to a place where a family of men lived. She took me when times were hard so we could dig around for food, there was always food where humans live. I had noticed that the humans kept there dogs in large cages outdoors on top of a large slab of stone. They were trapped there and could never leave unless their humans let them out, which was rare.

I always told myself that I would never trade my freedom for food and shelter like the dogs had, but it seemed that either way I ended up in this cage. It was cold and reeked of men. The smell make me nauseous. The cage I was being kept in was rather small. There were many other cages around. I seemed to be in some kind of building were animals were held captive. There was hardly enough room to walk around in the cage and no room to run. When I got to my feet I noticed that my shoulder was still in pain though it was much less then I had felt earlier. I also noticed the fur on my shoulder had been removed to the point you could clearly seen the wound I had received from the man's gun. The wound seemed to have been cleaned up but none the less I began to lick the hairless wound.

After I felt that my shoulder was clean I began to explore my new environment. I don't think there was any part of that fence that I didn't try to tear open with my teeth, with no prevail. I had almost given up when I heard a door at the end of the building. A man walked up to my cage and just stood there. I had no idea why I was here and what was going to happen to me but at that one instance all I could concentrate on was the large piece of meat in the man's hand. I had completely forgotten about the failed hunt the day before and about my empty stomach. I was determined to get out of there and more determent to get that meat.

The man lifted up a small door at the bottom of my cage and threw in the meat. I instinctively stood over my meal and growled making sure it wouldn't be taken from me. The man paid me no mind and walked to the far end of the building with another piece of meat and slid it under the door of another wolf who seemed to have been captured like me. He walked out soon after. I ate my meat within a few mouthfuls barely bothering to chew. When I was full I turned my attention to the other wolf that I hadn't noticed before that had been captured. This wolf seemed to have been here far longer then I had and seemed old and tired, it's gray fur seemed much duller then it should have. If I was to escape this place I would need help, and this other wolf seemed to be the only help I could home of getting.


End file.
